Chapter 136: Collapse: Raymond’s Thoughts (2)

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

The Koboids looked at each other, slightly puzzled, and one of them said, “There wasn’t a hole here before.”

If it didn’t exist before, perhaps it was formed during last night’s earthquake.

The trapped Koboids, realizing that their path back was obstructed, stumbled upon this cave by chance and decided to venture inside for exploration.

Yes, this reasoning seemed reasonable.

Looking at the map, the cave extended downward, likely leading to a deeper underground area.

Without wasting any time, Ji Chen ordered one Kobold to go down and investigate.

The Kobold didn’t hesitate and readily agreed to serve the Lord. It considered it the greatest honor, even if it meant risking its life!

In terms of fanaticism and loyalty, these Koboids were already on par with recruited soldiers.

A safety rope was tied around the Kobold’s waist to ensure that it could be pulled out in case of danger.

Since Koboids had excellent night vision, they didn’t need any lighting tools such as torches.

After securing the rope, the Kobold turned its body around, head facing down, and began to crawl down the cave, using both hands and feet, descending meter by meter.

Intermittently, some information was relayed.

“It’s very dark here, with a steep slope, and dust and rubble are falling from the top. It could collapse at any moment…”

“I found the footprints of those Koboids and a broken rope… Ah! Pull me up quickly!”

As soon as the words fell, the safety rope suddenly tightened, and the cave echoed with the screams of the exploring Kobold.

Seeing this, Ji Chen quickly ordered the Kobold to be pulled up.

The Kobold, with a frightened look on its face and numerous scratches on its body, said, “At the end of the cave, there’s a vertical pit!”

“Did you see any Koboids down there?”

The Kobold shook its head, “No, the height is at least several tens of meters, and I couldn’t see the bottom clearly.”

Ji Chen paused for a moment, and in his mind, he had already pronounced the verdict for those Koboids.

With its towering height of several tens of meters, even robust Naga warriors would sustain severe injuries if they were to fall. Considering the physical vulnerability of the Koboids, the outcome would be even graver, leaving them highly susceptible to grave injuries or worse.

Now he had to make a choice.

Should he continue the exploration and search for the missing Koboids?

Or should he abandon it and seal off the cave?

The cave originally didn’t exist here and only appeared coincidentally due to last night’s earthquake. The exact situation inside was still unknown.

Moreover, according to the Kobold’s description, the structure inside was highly unstable, posing a risk of collapse at any moment.

If they ventured in, there was a chance that the passage would collapse behind them, trapping them inside.

While Ji Chen could freely roam in the ocean, in caves filled with rocks and soil, he was no different from an ordinary person.

After some consideration…

Ji Chen believed that since he was blessed with a lot of privileges, he could be protected from any challenges and obligations ahead.

Ji Chen decided to send a team of Koboids for exploration and let them enter on their own.

Ultimately, even if he lost some Koboids, he wouldn’t be particularly heartbroken.

Within the depths of his heart, the significance of carrying on with the search had dwindled significantly. The balance had now tipped completely.

The value of these missing Koboids couldn’t justify his personal involvement and extensive efforts to find them.

It was cruel, but it was also realistic.

This was a basic quality of being a Lord.

He had to weigh and assess the value of various things and make decisions and take action based on that.

Only then could he better develop his territory and establish a stronger foothold for himself and the Crown of the Ocean in this world.

Leaving some Murloc Rangers to guard the cave, Ji Chen left the underground cave with most of the army and returned to the territory.

He instructed Wilus to send people to the mountaintop to mine sulfur, diamonds, and other minerals.

These minerals would provide enough resources to introduce several additional exportable goods for the Crown of the Ocean.

Then he called Raymond, who had been idle.

This chubby man quickly arrived at the Lord’s Manor and respectfully waited in front of Ji Chen.

“Do you have any business with me, my Lord?” Raymond asked nervously.

Ji Chen casually sat on a chair, his face amiable, and waved his hand, “Don’t be nervous, please have a seat.”

Raymond nodded and carefully sat on the opposite side of the table, only putting a third of his buttocks on the chair.

For someone who had entered the territory only a few days ago without accomplishing anything, even eating required caution and carefulness.

“I plan to send you to set sail in the next two days, heading to the mainland to sell goods and purchase resources needed for the territory.”

Upon hearing this, Raymond’s expression trembled, and he felt delighted.

Finally, he would be of use! He had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time!

“Thank you, my Lord, for giving me this chance. I will do my utmost to sell the goods at the highest price and buy the resources at the lowest cost!”

Seeing his enthusiastic appearance, Ji Chen smiled, “Let me ask you, where do you intend to sell the specialty products of the territory, and how do you plan to sell them?”

Raymond had already thought about these questions and started to talk confidently.

“In my opinion, it would be prudent for the Crown of the Ocean to temporarily steer clear of the Western Continent due to the predominant presence of the Hanseatic Chamber of Commerce in that area. Their extensive commercial networks in the region could impede our efforts to establish trade routes and promote the sale of our unique products.

Hence, I propose that we prioritize our focus on the Northern Continent. By establishing a trade route connecting the New Moon Islands with the Northern Continent, we can engage in profitable trade activities and lay a solid foundation for our ventures!”

Upon hearing this, Ji Chen’s interest grew. He had considered avoiding the Western Continent where the Hanseatic Chamber of Commerce was located, but he hadn’t thought about selling the specialty products to the Northern Continent.

“Why do you think we should sell to the Northern Continent?”

Raymond, seeing Ji Chen’s evident interest, became even more enthusiastic.

“This depends on the type of specialty products and the local culture and environment! The Northern Continent is located in the north and is covered with numerous trees, which has fostered the traditional preference for timber. Many noble families in the Northern Continent like high-quality wood, using it to manufacture various wooden furniture and decorations and as the primary material for building houses. In this regard, it is similar to the Western Continent, but currently, the Western Continent is not suitable. Therefore, the Northern Continent is the obvious choice. The Crown of the Ocean produces precious jungle wood of superior quality, which perfectly matches the market demand in the Northern Continent.”

Ji Chen nodded in agreement.

“In addition to the precious jungle wood, the Golden Sea Bass and premium coffee beans are also excellent specialty products. The nobles in the Northern Continent would be willing to pay a high price for them, and I can guarantee that!”

Raymond continued, oozing confidence.

Ji Chen looked at his confident appearance and asked with a smile, “I don’t doubt the premium coffee beans, but why do you think the Golden Sea Bass will sell well? After all, it’s just a second-tier specialty product, with nothing particularly remarkable except for being slightly delicious.”

This former member of the Hanseatic Chamber of Commerce immediately revealed a mischievous smile.

“My Lord, you’re mistaken. Even if we put the Golden Sea Bass in the Central Ocean, which is rich in fish, its taste and meat quality would still be considered excellent.

If it were merely delicious, I really wouldn’t have much confidence in selling it. But 1 can’t resist its exceptional appearance!

With its golden scales, we can package it a bit, create some hype, and do some pre-emptive advertising. For example, claiming that it possesses traces of golden dragon blood within its body or that it can only be found in forbidden waters, making it an extremely rare fish with limited supply.

This way, we can attract, ahem, convince more people to buy it. With my years of experience and skilled operations, I can ensure that the Golden Sea Bass sells at the highest price!”

Raymond patted his plump chest, exuding confidence.

Look, that’s what expertise means!

People shouldn’t be judged solely by appearance. Recruiting this chubby man was indeed the right choice.

Fundamentally, his statements revolved around the notion of artificially enhancing the product’s perceived value by various means.

Originally, the Golden Sea Bass was just a relatively tasty fish, but through reasonable operations and publicity, its value could be enhanced, selling at a price far exceeding its intrinsic value.

Diamonds on Earth were an excellent example of this.

In essence, diamonds were just carbon molecules, but with their beautiful appearance and catchy slogans like “A diamond is forever”, they became one of the most famous luxury goods.

Although some people might scoff at it, there would certainly be those who believed it.

And those who believed would become customers, or rather, faithful customers..

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